Radiotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Radiotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects.

Monte Carlo simulations for the design of the treatment rooms and synchrotron access mazes in the CNAO Hadrontherapy facility.

Porta A, Agosteo S, Campi F

Centro Studi Nucleari Enrico Fermi (CeSNEF), Polytechnic of Milan, Via Ponzio 34/3, I-20133 Milan, Italy. alessandro.porta@polimi.it

The Italian National Centre for Hadrontherapy is based on a synchrotron capable of accelerating protons and carbon ions up to 250 MeV and 400 MeV u(-1), respectively. The present work describes some Monte Carlo simulations performed to verify the design of the treatment rooms and synchrotron access mazes. The different shielding efficiency and induced activations of the common concrete and the baryte concrete were analysed. In such a radiation field, i.e. with high-energy neutrons, the baryte concrete gains twice the activation than the common concrete without any relevant dose reduction. Moreover, the simulations have stressed, again, the discrepancies between H*(10) and E in such cases where the neutron radiation field is the dominant component and, particularly, in the medium-high energy range.

Published 3 May 2005 in Radiat Prot Dosimetry, 113(3): 266-74.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Radiotherapy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.